GNGTS 2024 - Atti del 42° Convegno Nazionale

Session 3.1 GNGTS 2024 The MARE (MARine Energy) project Assessment of energy producton potental from marine waves and currents: a case study from Aegadian archipelago A. D'Alessandro 1 , A. Sulli 2 , M. Agate 2 , P. Capizzi 2 , C. Caruso 1 , L. Cocchi 2 , R. D'Anna 2 , A. Di Benedeto 2 , A. Figlioli 1 , M. Gasparo Mortcelli 2 , A. Mandiello 1 , R. Martorana 2 , A. Pisciota 1 , S. Speciale 1 , S. Sciré Scappuzzo 1 , S. Scudero 1 , G. Vitale 1 1 Isttuto Nazionale di Geofsisica e Vulcanologia, Italy 2 Università degli Studi di Palermo, Italy Introducton World energy consumpton will grow considerably in the next decades, as well as that of the European Union. At the same tme, the Member States' awareness that traditonal energy producton seriously contributes to environmental polluton, making the need for a non-pollutng generaton of energy. As part of the technological evoluton of renewable energy, the marine energy is emerging. In fact, this source arouses growing interest from governments and industries, despite being relatvely new, and with non-compettve costs such as wind power. An important characteristc of the sea is that it has the highest energy density of all renewable sources. The most important advantages are the high availability and high predictability of the resource, while the technology is characterized by a low visual impact and no CO2 emissions. Marine waves and currents can thus contribute to a renewable energy mix to help curb the current dependence on fossil fuels. Italy has a geographical positon that allows exploitaton of diferent sources of renewable energy; among these sources, the sea should have a prominent role due to the large amount of Italian coastline. Afer more than thirty years confned to academic research, the progress of marine energy has reached an almost mature stage, presentng itself as a potental industry for the future. The sea contains an enormous amount of energy, which theoretcally can be exploited by man for his own energy needs. It is present in several forms, including tdes, surface waves, currents, the thermal gradient and the salinity gradient. We refer to kinetc energy with regard to tdal currents or sea currents, which are moved by gravitatonal forces, while the waves of the sea, pushed by the wind, derive indirectly from solar energy . All these diferent forms can be used for the generaton of electricity, through the use of the most modern technologies.